The Ties We Hang By
by Lady Eponine Black
Summary: Three woman. None of them can go back, but only one will fall, and only one will escape, and at the end, it is all up to the third person. And what ties will be broken? The story of two sisters, a gamin, and a prophecy. FULL SUMMERY INSIDE.
1. Prologue: The Prisioners Prophecy

_SUMMERY: a prophecy sends Bellatrix to jail, but does it really refer to her? She finds she is sharing a cell with a stranger called Eponine. But all is not what it seems as hidden plots and unknown plans unfurl around the prisoners. As Dark secrets from the past of both the prisoners and Narcissa surface, questions apear. How can Eponine get back? Who is the prophecy talking about? What is Cissy planning? What does Eponine know? But in the end, when it matters most, what will Bellatrix chose? what ties are woven the strongest and what ties will break? is there a chance to go back, or is Bellatrix in to deep to be saved?_

The woman sat in the cell; her matted silvery blond hair halfway down her hunched back, her dark brown eyes partially closed. Her face was very thin and pale, with the strange pallor of one who has not been outdoors for a very, very long time. She was a witch, but she had no wand, it had been taken from her two and a half years ago when they had captured her in the forest. None of the death eaters knew her age and her name was unimportant. To them, she was 'The Prisoner'. she was important, yes, but once she made the prophecy she would die. Nothing more. She was clothed in a ragged brown dress, threadbare and torn. Her feet were bare.

There was another person inside the cell, but he was no prisoner. He was a man, very tall man with a dark brown beard and neat hair. His eyes were piercing gray, and a continual half-smile lingered around his cracked lips. He wore a pair of flowing dark robes, in the style of a Gringots Guard, and if you raised the sleeve, you would see the writhing snakes that were the emblem of his Lord. he leaned agaist the cold wall, looking slightly bored, and shooting thin streams of fire at any bug or moth that dared come near him. Therefore, it was he who heard when the Prisoner began making strange, otherworldly noises, and rocking back in forth in her chains. He hastened to the door, stared hard at her bindings (to make sure that she could not escape) and ran sprightly up the long narrow flight of stairs.

Five minuets later three men hurried into the cell, the dark bearded man, who was named Marius Kusnik, and two others. The one in the lead was tall, and rather interesting looking seeing that he had no nose. His skin was deathly white, his eyes red as a snake, and he was bald. The one right next to him was sallow-skinned, with silky blond hair and an arrogant expression. he carried a fine silver walking stick, sand he sneered at the Prisioner with an expression of loathing and disgust. All three were wearing robes. Marius and Lucius Malfoy hovered at the door, while Lord Voldemort went over to the woman, who was still making very funny sounds, and pulling against her chains.

" You see my lord, it is time, my Lord." Said Marius.

" Yes. It is time. Soon we shall have the prophecy, and everything shall be better. This filthy half-blood will tell us what we need to know, and we will crush the order once and for all. Lucius, i told you to-" but whatever he had told Lucius was drowned out by a raspy breath being drawn.

"My Lord-"

"Silence."

All three men turned to the Prisoner and waited with bated breath. She leaned forward in her chains; dirty hair swinging over her emaciated face, and began to speak in a rasping, harsh voice.

_ "The most loyal shall betray you on the eve of _

_ The death of the prisioner who can never return,_

_she will choose a higher cause and leave you there to burn._

_ She'll bargain with the Phoenix_

_For the thing that to her is most precious. _

_ The Most Loyal will betray you,_

_But in the end there will be the question of 'who?'_

_She is a star in a sky of black._

_and There shall be three prisioners who can't go back_

_one shall fall and one shall escape,_

_but for the falsly accused that is her choice to make. _

_YOUR MOST LOYAL WILL BETRAY YOU!"_

With that last sentence she pitched forward on to the ground, her iron chains breaking as if they were mage of glass. The three me looked at each other in silence for a minuet. Then the dark lord spoke in a high, cold, clear voice.

" Lucius."

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Bring me Bellatrix."


	2. Bellatrix, a traitor?

Lucius leaned his head around the door, tentatively, and ready to duck. There was no telling what sort of mood his sister-in-law would be in. But the room seemed empty. "Bellatrix?" There was no answer. He tried again, raising his voice a notch. "Bellatrix?"

"What is it Lucius?"

The voice can from behind him, and he jumped, startled. Bellatrix Lestrange was sweeping down the hallway, her long curly dark hair rippling down her back, her dark amethyst eyes flashing.

"What is it?" she repeated, her voice dismissive. She twirled her wand in her hand, looking slightly preoccupied.

" The Dark Lord requests your presence."

She nodded, and stowed her wand in her pocket. " I don't need _you_ to tell me when My Lord requires me." She brushed her fingers down the Dark Mark on her arm, and smiled slowly, reveling slightly pointed teeth.

" The Dark Lord asked me to fetch you."

" I am not a _dog_ Lucius. I presume that The Dark Lord merely wanted you to get out of the way." She said, smirking at him. Then her voice changed, and became suddenly harsh. " Where's Cissy?"

" I don't know. Nowhere important, i'm sure."

"Hmm. Tell her I want to see her."

" You cannot give me orders in m own house, Bellatrix."

" I can do what i wish, Lucius. The Dark Lord has graced this house with his presence. I have just as much right as you do."

Her fingers again flew to the mark on her arm, and she stalked away down the corridor. Lucius sighed, and leaned his head against the doorframe. If Bellatrix had had any idea of what her Lord wanted her for, she certainly wasn't showing it. Sometimes he wondered about Bellatrix.

* * *

><p>Bellatrix kneeled at the foot of The Dark Lord, and gazed up at him through adoring eyes. "My Lord..." she breathed. "You called?"<p>

"Yes, Bellatrix." he said in a cool voice. " I want to ask you a question."

" Yes, My lord. Anything, my lord."

" Have you ever had contact with the order of the Phenoix?"

" What do you mean, my Lord?"

" Are you a _traitor_, Bellatrix? Don't lie to me."

Bellatrix gasped. Tears flooded her eyes, but she blinked them back. "My lord, i am your most loyal, your most trusted, your most faithful. i would never do anything to betray you, my lord."

" You're lying."

" My lord knows i speak nothing but the truth."

" Legilimence!" the dark lord sighed with rage and frusteration. Bellatrixes mind was a stone wall, an impassable concrete wall. he had never been able to look into it as he had done with everybody else.

" My lord..."

" There has been a prophecy, Bellatrix."

" My Lord, i am your most loyal. i am faithful to you completly, my lord. never would i do anything against you, my lord"

" Then you say the prophecy _lied_, Bellatrix?"

" No, My Lord. but prophecies can be confusing, My Lord. I, who have spent years in Askaban for you, i would never to anything that would betray you my lord, i am loyal to you, i really am. I am your most loyal my Lord. You must be mistaken, my lord. i would never betray you."

"Bellatrix.." said the Dark Lord warningly. " I would not like to believe that you are a traitor. you have served me faithfuly for years..."

" My lord knows i am _forever_ faithful."

" ...But i must trust the word of the prophecy."

" No! you cannot! it is not possible."

" I rather think it is Bellatrix. and Traitors will regret it. You do not betray the dark lord without consiquences. i will kill you yes, but you shall suffer first. The dark lord does not forgive. "

" My Lord..."

" Take her to the basement."


	3. A snowy night in Paris

**Paris, 1823.**

Two men stalked along the boulevard, their dark robes swirling around their feet, their faces partially obscured by the whirling snow. One was a tall man, with a dark brown beard and gray eyes, the other with light hair and rigid features. They were conversing in low voices, and both of them held a wand in their hand.

" Did you find him, Yaxley?"

" Yes. He was at the castle, just like the Dark Lord said he would be."

" And did you get what we came for?"

" In a fashion. They made me wait for a very long time, but I was finally granted an audience with The Great One. He seemed very interested in our cause, said that he agreed that wizards could and should have total domination."

" And did he give you the Spell Book?"

" Yes, Marius, he did. It has everything we need."

" Tell me about The Great One."

" He was very old. He sat in a large throne in the castle, and there were muggles there to wait on him."

"That's the way to do it. Muggles are only good for slavery."

" I agree completely. Stupid, dirty filth. And did he show any interest in sending us men?"

"Yes. He said that he would be very willing to help us."

"Good. When shall the portal be opened again, did he say?"

" At the next double moon."

"And when is that?"

" Two months from now."

" Good. We will need the extra men. We shall plan the attack accordingly. And you?"

" And me what?"

" Did you get the information?"

" Yes. I was able to corner the man, and with a bit if …encouragement he told me all i needed to know about the Spell."

" Good. i hope you spared him nothing. He deserved to be punished. And what did be say?"

" He said that we were foolish, power-hungry morons. But with a bit of torture he revealed that the Spell was invented by Robert Sherman."

" do you know who he is?"

" No idea. But he obviously was immortal, because I've heard of him. In our time, i mean."

" Good. I assume we'll be paying a visit to old Sherman tomorrow. Must have been pretty smart. With the Spell on our side, we'll be able to wipe out the Order once and for all."

"Good. Lets hurry up, the nights almost over."

The two men speed up their pace, not noticing the young girl that had slipped out of an alleyway, and had began to trail after them. She was tall and very thin, with dark matted hair tied with a piece of string. Her eyes were dull and brown, and they were narrowed against the wind and snow. She was clothed in a ragged brown skirt through which you could see her thin, shivering legs. Her chemise was stained and dirty, and was slightly too big, and slipped of her thin, red shoulder blade. She lost sight of the men for a minute, but pressed on anyway. She stopped when she heard voices.

"Come on marius, Hurry up."

She poked her head around the corner, and saw two blurry figures huddled around a patch in the air that seemed to be glowing. As she watched, the man called Marius motioned the other man through the patch of air, and he disappeared, calling "Hurry up Marius, the Dark Lord is calling. "

"Marius." The girl whispered in a rough voice. And without looking back she ran after the man trough the portal, just as it began to shimmer. When she was through, it closed, leaving only snow and emptiness. And Eponine was gone, hurtling through time after the two death eaters.


End file.
